Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick glad to have teammate, friend back at track

HAMPTON, Ga. — The simple act of arriving at Atlanta Motor Speedway – a step Tony Stewart made Friday in returning to NASCAR after a three-race absence — was like a homecoming for his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates.

Danica Patrick, who drives for SHR and spoke to Stewart last weekend, said "It will be good to have him back."

"We'll be all on board to help him with whatever he needs. But he's Tony Stewart, so I'm sure he will be fine. With it being a tragic accident, it's something to work through."

Stewart is scheduled to race in Sunday's Oral-B USA 500 at AMS. He has missed three Sprint Cup races since his sprint car hit and killed Kevin Ward Jr. in a dirt race in upstate New York on Aug. 9.

During a press conference Friday afternoon at the track, Stewart read a 2 minute, 30 second statement that SHR spokesman Mike Arning said had been written by the three-time champion who had been in seclusion since the tragedy.

SHR teammate Kevin Harvick said he was the least concerned about the "racing side" of Stewart's return.

"I know for him that will be great medicine to have some type of normal activity in his life again that he hasn't been able to have," Harvick said. "But, from a personal standpoint, I'm glad to see my friend and be able to talk to him and be able to support him through probably what will be the hardest situation he's had to go through in his whole life. That to me is the most important thing."

The investigation into Ward's death remains open and will continue for at least another two weeks according to a statement released Friday by the Ontario County (N.Y.) Sheriff's Office.

Stewart's return has attracted the attention of national news media that typically devote little time to NASCAR. NBC's morning show Today aired a live report from the track Friday morning.

"I think everybody has obviously been concerned and wants to support Tony in every way possible," Harvick said. "Everybody has waited to see when this day would be. Obviously, Tony knew when it was time for him to come back to the racetrack and be a part of getting in the car again. We'll support him and hopefully get him running again and have a good weekend."

Harvick, who has been critical of media reporting on the Stewart incident, expressed concern about that again Friday morning.

"I think it's very important that our core media obviously understands who Tony Stewart is and the emotions that come with our sport," he said. "As I've watched and been very frustrated through a lot of this, you get outside our core media and the perceptions are tough to see and listen to.

"For me, it's very important for those people to understand that our sport is just like a lot of other sports. There's a lot of emotion involved in what we do. You see those highlight reels of people throwing stuff – in this case Tony throwing stuff, but you get in the heat of the moment and you can make that highlight reel for most of us. It's tough to see and hear the things that are being tossed that way toward him."

Contributing: Jeff Gluck

PHOTOS: Tony Stewart through the years

Tony Stewart, born May 20, 1971, in Columbus, Ind., is a three time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2002, '05, 11), the 1997 Indy Racing League (IndyCar) champion and the 1995 USAC Triple Crown champion. Andrew Weber, USA TODAY Sports

Stewart sits in his car in the garage area at Pocono International Raceway while talking with crew chief, Greg Zipadelli. The photo, taken in 1999, is from Stewart's rookie season in the Cup series. Russ Hamilton, AP

Tony Stewart (20) flies through the air after an accident during the 2001 Daytona 500. Despite winning three Cup championships and racking up 47 career wins, Stewart has yet to win a Daytona 500. Jim Topper, AP

Stewart drives through the first turn at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the final practice session before the 85th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2001. Stewart occasionally raced in the IZOD IndyCar series from 1996-2001. Michael Conroy, AP

Stewart (right) celebrates atop the flag stand near fans at Daytona International Speedway after winning the 2005 Pepsi 400. According to National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Stewart is one of the Top 10 most popular drivers in NASCAR. David Graham, AP

Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, celebrates in after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 and the 2011 Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2011 in Homestead, Florida. The title was Stewart's third Cup series championship, having previously won in 2002 and 2005. Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images

President Barack Obama (right) talks with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart during an event to honor him and the other 2011 Sprint Cup Series drivers at the White House on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. Evan Vucci, AP

Stewart drives the No. 14 Chevrolet during the Feed the Children Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway on June 6, 2012 in Rossburg, Ohio. Stewart bought Eldora Speedway in 2004. Chris Graythen, Getty Images